Abdomen deflection is one of the critical elements taken into consideration when assessing the side impact performance of a motor vehicle. There are generally two accepted options for reducing abdomen deflection resulting from a side impact. The first is to make modifications to body structures. This can be done by increasing body side reinforcement, pillar reinforcement and/or adding or increasing the strength of an intrusion beam in the door of the motor vehicle. All such modifications to body structure add significant cost and have significant weight implications that have an adverse effect upon the fuel economy of the motor vehicle. The second option to improve side impact performance of the motor vehicle relates to the management of energy absorption through the interior door trim panel. This can be achieved with negligible cost and weight penalties to the motor vehicle. Armrest design is a particularly important aspect of this second option.
An armrest must have the necessary strength and stiffness to support vertical loads while also absorbing energy to reduce abdomen deflection resulting from lateral loads imparted by a side impact to the motor vehicle. Thus, it should be appreciated that an armrest must be designed to delicately balance between these seemingly conflicting requirements and competing functions.
This document relates to a new and improved support for an armrest assembly as well as to a new and improved armrest assembly incorporating that support. Such an armrest assembly provides enhanced compliance for both the anticipated vertical loads for proper armrest function and safety targets in the event of a side impact. The new and improved armrest weighs less due to elimination of plastic from the armrest substrate and advantageously optimizes countermeasures to save cost and weight. More particularly, the new and improved armrest assembly provides desired energy absorption that effectively eliminates the need for intensive body structure countermeasures including, for example, B pillar reinforcement, bracket reinforcement, door reinforcement and the like.